Monday, July 18, 2016

movingSF: A New Bike-Only Shortcut Into Golden Gate Park

People on bikes have a new, seamless entry into Golden Gate Park thanks to a new shortcut we installed in the traffic median at 7th Avenue and Lincoln Way.

The bicycle “cut-thru” provides a new link along a bike route in the Inner Sunset where, previously, all bicycle and vehicle traffic was required to turn right (a concrete island blocked thru traffic).

Thanks to a few measures we put in place, bike traffic can now continue across Lincoln. The concrete island was re-built with bicycle “channels” in each direction, and new bicycle traffic signals allow everyone to move in sync. In the northbound direction, we also installed a bike lane pocket for people on bikes to pass to the left of right-turning drivers.

These are the kinds of small but crucial engineering improvements we’re installing to help make bicycling a more convenient way to get around. In May, the Inner Sunset was also the first neighborhood to get our new generation of bicycle wayfinding signs.

Whether it’s the major bike-friendly street designs breaking ground this year on Polk Street, 2nd Street and Masonic Avenue, or intuitive shortcuts like these, these upgrades are all key pieces of the puzzle.

Note: Pardon the dust as work is still being done on the intersection on new sidewalk curb ramps and underground cables.